Today I went to a memorial service for my friend, Syon Bhattacharya. He passed away this past Wednesday. Syon was diagnosed with stomach cancer around 18 months ago, and the cancer was discovered at a very advanced stage. I found out about the disease shortly after he did. Syon was not the type of person who complained, and he did not send regular updates about the status of his health.

Many of my friends from Carnegie Mellon, including Syon, live in Seattle. I typically visit there once or twice a year. A couple of weeks ago, I made plans to visit Seattle and Portland. When I started to make plans with friends last week, I found out that Syon had taken a turn for the worse and was in a hospice. I arrived in Seattle on Saturday morning, and I was able to see him in the hospice almost immediately after I landed. I am very happy that I was able to talk to him.

I’m sad that I won’t get to spend more time with Syon, but I’m glad I was able to spend as much time as him as I did. He was a warm, friendly, funny, and smart person, and I will miss him.

The table we shared at Peter and Stephanie’s wedding. Syon is the man in the second row on the right. I am the guy in the blue shirt and suit sitting below him.